We were lucky to catch up with Nico Lugo Echeverri recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nico, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Over the past couple years I’ve done so many meaningful projects, from singing next to Kristen Chenoweth (Glinda, Wicked) on a Broadway Stage (Stephen Sondheim Theater) to performing at the renowned David Geffen Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. But this year (2025) I had the opportunity to not only perform but to also be a part of the creative team as the choreographer for the one-night-only show “Sabor y Pasion In the Battery” at the New York Film Academy Theater in collaboration with Carnegie Hall Festival Season “Nuestros Sonidos”, celebrating the vibrant sounds, pioneering rhythms, traditions and enourmous influence of Latin culture in the US.
The reason why this project out of all I’ve done has been the most meaninful so far to me is because I had the chance to create from the ground up a show meant to celebrate my culture. As a proud Colombian inmigrant it was very important to me to be able to tell my story and so many more on stage and to shine a light not only on how beautiful and vibrant the Latino culture is but to recognize the current critical state of this diverse country I love towards inmigrans from all over Latin America.
I am deeply grateful to the people who gave me this incredible opportunity, my mentors Kristy Cates (Elphaba, Wicked) and Michelle Potterf (Roxie Hart, Chicago) who guided my learning process while I was a student at the Musical Theatre Conservatory Program at the New York Film Academy and who supported me all the way after graduation and respect me as a now colleague of them.

Nico, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I would say my artistic journey began when I was a kid, probably 4 years old. It all started with Disney, I fell in love with the magic that was singing and dancing while being able to tell so many stories through this art form. Music has always been a part of my life, there was always a radio on at home from dusk till dawn and I would spend countless hours just dancing and moving all over the living room. It was no surprise to my parents that I loved performing, so they signed me up for dance, singing and guitar lessons since I was 7 years old. But it wasn’t until high school that I decided for sure I would pursue the performing arts as a career, after I got the chance to go see Lady Gaga in concert I fell in love with her music and her story, the message she always brought with her and of course her jaw dropping spectacles made me realize that was the life I wanted for me. And so I started taking my training to a professional level, in 2015 I began my professional dance training at Proyecto Urban Dance (PUD, the first commercial dance school ever in Bogota, Colombia) There I was able to learn from the best teachers I could focusing a lot on Jazz and other commercial styles (Hip-Hop, Jazz Funk, etc) and had the opportunity to compete in national and international festivals such as HHI Colombia, World HHI Arizona, MVC2k18 Mexico and many more, earning prestigious awards and accolades. I also had my very first opportunity to be a teacher and choreographer for the school (PUD) and earned my first professional leading role in the musical “Erase Una Vez”, an addaptation of the beloved cinderella story. I was able to tour different cities in Colombia with this show. Around this time I also made my debut on national TV, making several appereances in talk-shows and the successfull serie “Nadie Me Quita Lo Bailao” featured as a dancer on a couple episodes. In 2019 I took a big step forward and decided to move to the city of my dreams to continue with my learning journey as a performing arts student in New York City, enrolling at the prestigious New York Film Academy for their Musical Theatre Conservatory Program, as a student I had the chance to perform in a wide variety of productions (The Addams Family, Head Over Heels, etc) as well as new-works (Live, Laugh, Lie) and here is where I had my silver-screen debut on the original film “Blue Wednesday” directed by Pierre Marais (Aladdin, Sunset Blvd). After graduating I have performed in many venues over New York including 54 Below, David Geffen Concert Hall at Lincoln Center and most important the Stephen Sondheim Theater on Broadway, singing next to Kristen Chenoweth at her one-night-only concert “Kristin: An Evening With Friends”. I have choreographed, directed and performed in original productions like “Spoon Fed” written by Juniel Ariel Maldonado, and “Sabor y Pasion In the Battery” in collaboration with Carnegie Hall Festival Season “Nuestros Sonidos”. I am incredibly proud of all of this accomplishments and I look forward to many more! As an inmigrant it has not been always an easy journey, but this all goes to show that passion, discipline and determination to fulfillinf your dreams can take you anywhere, and this is something I would like to share with the readers. No dream is small enough or impossible, if you can think of it then you can make it!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I would say the most rewarding aspect of being an artist at the end of the day is the sound of the applause, and this is not because I crave the attention or the validation of people, what I mean by this: when the applause happens is because the person who is clapping is truly entertained. So for me, as an artist, that is the most rewarding aspect. Knowing that for a couple of minutes or hours you were able to bring joy to someone who may have needed it that day., or you were able to let someone know that they are not alone because they see themselves reflected on the character that you’re playing on stage.
For me it’s all about the community, artist of all kinds are a powerful force within society because we are the ones who bring light, happiness and entertainment. It’s mindblowing to me how people from so many different backgrounds and cultures are able to bond and connect because of a song they might love, or a painting they saw. That’s what is most rewarding about being an artist, at least for me.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I grew up in that blurry era between vhs, movie rentals and nowadays were social media and chatgpt is taking over everyones lifes haha. So I would say I wish I knew how important back then creating up your instagram profile or YouTube Channel would have been (@nicolugoecheverri if you would like to follow me hehe)
Because it’s all about those resources now, you can go viral on TikTok any minute now. You can find amazing casting posts and audition notices so easily on places like Playbill, Actors Access or Backstage. I think if you are an emerging artist these are some of the resources you need to get your hands on as much as possible, you never know what incredible people and connections are waiting on the other side of that screen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nicolugoecheverri.wixsite.com/nicolugoecheverri
• Instagram: @nicolugoecheverri
• Youtube: @nicolugoecheverri
• Soundcloud: @nicolugoecheverri
• Other: TikTok: @nicolugoecheverri

Image Credits

ph: Michael Kushner
ph: Nikita Kamat